


Haydn's Pupil

by BuffaloWrites



Category: Classical Music RPF, Historical RPF
Genre: Beethoven, Haydn, Ingaz Shuppanzigh - Freeform, Joseph Haydn - Freeform, Ludwig van Beethoven - Freeform, Prince Linchowsky - Freeform, Wenzel Krumpholz - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-15 12:51:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11231367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuffaloWrites/pseuds/BuffaloWrites
Summary: Beethoven once again returns to Vienna to study music and composition. He's taken on as a pupil by Joseph Haydn and is housed by Prince Linchowsky. However, the relationship between Haydn and Beethoven has a few ups and downs.





	1. Haydn in Bonn

It was just two weeks after Ludwig’s 20th birthday. His brothers had worked together to attempt to make Ludwig’s favorite foods, but to no avail. Even if everything was burned, Ludwig appreciated their efforts. After all, Kaspar and Nikolaus had never learned to cook. It was a mediocre birthday. His life so far was not what Ludwig had imagined. He wanted to still be learning, he wanted to go back to Vienna, he wanted to establish himself as a serious composer, and he wanted to provide more for his brothers. His father? Oh, he could lay over and die for all Ludwig cared. As Ludwig walked to the court of the Elector of Cologne, he daydreamed about how much better his life could have been if his mother hadn’t died. He especially wanted to create a better life for her. She of all people deserved better, yet she sadly didn’t live long enough to see the day. When he finally reached the court, he fixed his waistcoat and went in.

Ludwig sighed and silently promised himself that he would return to Vienna when he could afford to. After all, an alcoholic father in debt and expensive trips don’t exactly go very well together. Ludwig had gone to the court of the Elector of Cologne to request his father’s salary be sent to him instead so that he could be able to pay for things the family needed. He knew where the manager’s office was by heart—he had been many of times. After he knocked and the manager welcomed him in, he sat in the large, stiff cushioned chair that he had sat in before so many times in front of the manager’s desk. Ludwig could still see the pity in the manager’s eyes as he handed Ludwig his father’s payment. He didn’t want the manager’s pity. He didn’t want anyone’s pity. 

“Here you are,” The manager had said handing Ludwig his father’s payment, “I hope everything works out for you, _junger Mann_.”

Ludwig’s blood started to boil at the sound of pity in the manager’s voice, “ _Danke, Herr_ Gerold.”

Ludwig started to leave, but Gerold stopped him. “I know you’re very talented,” Gerold started, “and I’m sure you’ve heard of Joseph Haydn. I’m really not supposed to tell anyone this, but Haydn is going to be visiting the local inn. You should take advantage of that.”

“ _Sie scherzen_ ,” Ludwig said.

Gerold shook his head, “ _Nein!_ I would never joke about that! I only know because the court’s best musicians are going to talk with Haydn. You should consider doing the same, Beethoven.”

Ludwig thought about what Gerold said before saying his goodbyes and leaving. _So_ Ludwig thought as he exited the court _Haydn’s going to be in Bonn? Those other musicians won’t stand a chance!_ He would make sure of that. Haydn was his ticket back to Vienna, and no one would take the chance away from him.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Bonn was usually quiet, but that day it was buzzing with noise. Almost every citizen of Bonn had learned that Haydn was once again going to be staying in the local inn. Ludwig had found a comfortable spot to wait for Haydn’s arrival. He had to admit that he felt a little creepy watching from across the street and waiting for Haydn’s carriage. Ludwig pushed the feeling from his head. _Ambition drives all men to do certain things_ he told himself in an effort to feel more at ease. His mind began to wander. If only he had brought extra paper to scribble something in order to calm his nerves. Suddenly, a coach pulled in front of the inn. Many of the citizens of Bonn had abandoned their businesses or errands to walk towards the carriage. People were crowding and calling out Haydn’s name. Ludwig slowly made his way across the street. He managed to push past a few people to get closer.

The coachman hopped down from his seat, opened the door of the coach, and then cleared a path to the inn’s door. A man Ludwig had never seen before half fell, half leapt from the coach door. _Definitely not Haydn_ Ludwig told himself as he watched the clumsy man regain his posture and try to confidently walk into the inn. Another man stepped out of the coach gracefully. The crowd erupted with applause and shouts. The man was definitely Franz Joseph Haydn. Ludwig had only heard descriptions of him, but could confirm that the man was Haydn. Haydn gave the crowd a genuine smile and waved before entering the inn. The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving Ludwig and a few people that were still talking. A few of the court musicians pushed past Ludwig and went into the inn. Determined to impress Haydn and return to Vienna, Ludwig fixed himself and walked in.

Haydn was sitting in a chair, surrounded by the musicians and accompanied by the clumsy man Ludwig had seen outside. He distanced himself a few feet away from the group in order to think about what exactly he would tell Haydn. He had thought about it outside, but seeing Haydn in person intimidated him. Ludwig was lost in his own thoughts when he bumped into a small table and made a loud noise. All eyes were now on him as he fixed the table. Ludwig’s face turned a bright red. Haydn, however, was smiling again, “Are you _in Ordung, junger Mann_?”

“ _Jawhol_ , I’m so sorry, _Herr_ H-Haydn,” Ludwig started approaching Haydn, “ _Mein_ name is Ludwig Van Beethoven. I’d like to show you two manuscripts of my compositions.” Ludwig pulled out two sheets of paper and handed them to Haydn.

Haydn took both, reviewed the two manuscripts, and seemed to be impressed. “Ah, _ja!_ These are very impressive. _Herr_ Mozart told me so much about you after he met you,” Haydn said. He stood up and seemed to examine Ludwig as if he had to be sure it was the same person Mozart had told him about. Finally, Haydn said, “Will you play something for me?”

Ludwig opened his mouth to reply, but words refused to come out. Haydn had asked _him_ to play. He quickly closed his mouth and nodded. Haydn followed Ludwig to the piano in the corner of the inn that Ludwig had sat at many times before—for his own enjoyment, for a small job, and for his father to show him off. Ludwig sat down at the piano and began. He started with Haydn’s own piece, Piano Sonata in F Minor, and when he finished, he improvised with the tune. After his performance, Haydn clapped for him and the other men in the inn followed Haydn’s action. “ _Gut gemacht!_ ” He started, “You seem to be as amazing as _Herr_ Mozart had told me. I’m actually on my way to Vienna again after visiting London. If it is possible, will you come to Vienna and study under me as my pupil?”

Ludwig was shocked. Haydn himself had offered him a position as his pupil. Ludwig nodded, “ _Herr_ Haydn, I would love to! _Danke!_ ”

The two talked and talked until Haydn decided to retire to his room. Haydn was Ludwig’s new blessing. Through Haydn, he would return to Vienna. He was going to be able to establish himself as a musician once again. He was going to have more lessons in order to become even greater. Nothing could possibly take this away from him—Ludwig was going to make sure of that. 


	2. Prince Linchowsky's Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ludwig arrives at Prince Linchowsky's estate. He's given a tour and even meets a few other musicians that will be lodging at the estate, as well.

Not long after his encounter with Haydn, Ludwig had once again arrived in Vienna with a letter of introduction and all of the belongings he could bring. This time, he would be staying with an acquaintance of both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Count Waldstein. Waldstein was delighted to write the letter and had told Ludwig more about Prince Linchowsky. “He’s a popular patron of the _Kuste_! Did you also know he held the title ‘prince’ in Russia and decided to keep it? I have to admit, I would most likely do the same. He’s actually a current Chamberlain at the Imperial Austrian Court,” Waldstein explained as he dipped his quill in ink and started writing again. He carried on about Linchowsky, but Ludwig decided that he would have to see what Prince Linchowsky was like for himself.

The coachman had taken a different route than Ludwig had originally traveled with Bertram when they had reached Vienna. Instead of the busy street full of shops and workers, the coach was led down a quieter street. The coach passed large beautiful carriages and few people walking along on a sidewalk. They were all definitely from the upper class. There were no loud shopkeepers. There were no children running around or gazing into shop windows. There were no average people that Ludwig had been near all of his life and even when he visited Vienna last time; there were only aristocrats. This did not frighten him at all, but it did intimidate him. “What have I gotten myself into?” Ludwig whispered to himself.

Soon, the coach pulled in front of a large beige house that resembled a more modern palace. The coachman hopped off his seat, opened the door for Ludwig, dropped Ludwig’s things at his feet, and nodded to him. “ _Danke_ ,” Ludwig said and nodded back to him.

“Good luck to you, _junger Mann,_ ” The coachman told him before returning to his seat on the coach and driving away.

Ludwig was going to knock, but the door opened before he could even tap the door. A servant in a royal blue uniform answered, “You’re a little _fruh._ Please forgive us, we were not expecting you until later. Come in _Herr_ Beethoven—

“Please, call me Ludwig.”

“As you wish, _Herr_ Ludwig.”

“Just Ludwig, please.”

The servant started at Ludwig for a moment before taking Ludwig’s things and allowing him inside. Inside, the house was one of the most gorgeous things Ludwig had ever seen. The entrance room was decorated in yellow and gold and the stairs were a dark brown—Ludwig guessed the rails were made of an imported wood. “Is he here?” A voice called from another room.

The servant stopped and bowed, “He is here, your highness.”

Ludwig had now stopped admiring the room and turned to meet Price Linchowsky. He looked to be near Ludwig’s age (he couldn’t have been much older) with dark brown eyes that held a sweet expression—Ludwig decided he was more like chocolate than an actual human being. Linchowsky radiated a warm friendly arura instead of a cold dictator-like personality Ludwig had expected. Linchowsky surprised him by walking to him and taking his hand, “It is such an _ehre_ to finally meet the great Ludwig Van Beethoven Mozart had bragged about to many of us years ago. As you must already know, I am Prince Karl Alois Linchowsky.”

“ _Ja,_ ” Ludwig started. He pulled the letter of introduction from his jacket pocket, “I have this to give to you. It is a letter from Count Waldstein, your…highness.”

Linchowsky took the letter, but then stuffed it inside his vest, “I’ll look at it later. _Komm, komm!_ I will give you a personal tour of my estate. I hope you will enjoy it here.”

Linchowsky led Ludwig throughout the house. He introduced him to other musicians that would be also staying in or near the estate. Many of them would later be part of the Schuppanzigh Quartet (which would later be renamed the Razumovsky Quartet). “Just tell me anytime you need a violin virtuoso. _Mein_ name is Wenzel Krumpholz and I will always be available for you, _Herr_ Beethoven,” Wenzel said and took Ludwig’s hand and smiled.

Another man laughed, “You poor Frenchman! He would rather call on an Austrian violinist, such as _Mich selber_. I am Ignaz Schuppanzigh.”    

Linchowsky pulled Ludwig away from the two bickering men and continued the tour. Ludwig had to admit, the house was beautiful. Soon, Linchowsky led him to his own room—a cozy room adjoined to the entrance of the attic. “I hope you don’t mind it,” Linchowsky started as he opened the door, “I thought you would want some space away from the ruckus downstairs while you work. Unlike you, the others here aren’t really composers.”

“It is fine,” Ludwig replied.

“Just ring if you need anything and a servant will be quick to assist you.”

“ _Danke_ , your highness.”

With that, Linchowsky left him alone in his new room. Soon, he would have to go down stairs again for dinner and would meet more musicians. However, tomorrow, he would have his first lesson with Haydn. Ludwig pulled out his notebook and reviewed some things he had written down and a few of his first compositions. He made very few changes before deciding that they were perfect enough for Haydn to see.


	3. Lessons with Haydn

The next day, Ludwig woke up early and dressed in his best clothes before leaving as quickly as he could. Outside, the rain had just stopped. Water dripped slowly off of the overhangs on buildings and ran down windows. Ludwig walked slowly down a busy street. Most of the businesses had just opened for the day and the smell of fresh coffee, bread, and pastries filled the air. It was almost nostalgic from the last time he had visited Vienna. He decided to stop at one of the small coffee shops and purchased two coffees and two pieces of chocolate. (Something he would continue to do for future lessons with Haydn.) After wandering around for a little while longer and reminiscing some of the places he had visited when first arriving to Vienna, Ludwig started towards Haydn’s residence.

Eszterhàza was one of the grandest places Ludwig had ever seen. It was bigger than Prince Lichnowsky’s estate. Ludwig walked to the front gate and was met by a servant, “What business do you have here, sir?”

“I am here to see _Herr_ Haydn,” Ludwig replied.

The servant didn’t say anything. He opened the gate and allowed Ludwig in before gesturing for him to follow. Ludwig walked close behind him and marveled at the beautiful architecture Instead of leading him inside the main building, the servant brought Ludwig to a much smaller building that looked less impressive. The servant then knocked on the door and waited with Ludwig. Finally, Haydn answered. “Were you expecting someone?” The servant asked glancing between Ludwig and Haydn.

Haydn smiled, “Yes, I was. _Danke,_ Reinhard.”

With that, Reinhard left the two. Haydn then welcomed Ludwig in. “I should have alerted him earlier. He takes his job very _ernst,_ ” Haydn said and led Ludwig into a room with a grand piano and a few pieces of art. On the piano, there were pieces of paper on the stand and on the seat. Some of them were finished pieces, others looked like scribblings of new pieces or written scales. Ludwig took a second to glance around the room before giving Haydn the coffee and chocolate he bought, “These are for you. I thought you would enjoy them as you reviewed some of my compositions and manuscripts.”

“Oh! _Danke!_ ” Haydn said as he took the coffee, “ _Komm_ , sit with me at the piano.”

Haydn used his empty to hand to pick up his scattered papers on the seat before patting it for Ludwig to sit down. Ludwig sat next to him and pulled out two recent compositions and one manuscript. He gave both and the chocolate to Haydn. The two talked about corrections and how Ludwig could improve. They then sampled a few measures on the piano to test how it would sound.

.*.*.*.*.*.

The lessons were all similar. It became apparent that Haydn did not really care for corrections and wanted to promote Ludwig for more creative thinking. However, Ludwig disagreed. It was one of the few things that soon brought the two to drift apart. Haydn tended to also travel a lot. Ludwig began to feel as if Haydn did not care about lessons. He started to take lessons with others such as Albrechtsberger, Salieri, and Forster. Ludwig never told Haydn in fear that he would somehow offend him. Later that year, Ludwig produced Op. 1 Piano Trios and was eager to show Haydn.

Haydn reviewed the sheets, “ _Tolle!_ This is remarkable, Ludwig. You are considering having this published, yes?"

“ _Ja_ ,” Ludwig answered, “I wanted you to review it before I submitted it to be published just to be sure that it was fine as it is.”

“It’s good…but I would add one thing before publishing it. You should consider putting ‘Pupil of Haydn’ under your name. I’d also take out the third trio in C minor. The public may not be very fond of it.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading! <3  
> This one actually has multiple chapters for a change, so that's kinda a plus.


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